As a history lover who is very interested in Ming and Qing culture, I usually go to the Forbidden City when I have nothing to do to travel to Beijing. When, indeed, as mentioned in many urban legends, it is very different from other palaces.
Among the many palaces in the Forbidden City, the Hall of Mental Cultivation hides many unknown secrets. Second, the place where the emperor worked was very seriously corroded, in sharp contrast to other palaces in the Forbidden City.
Considering that the corrosion of the Hall of Mental Cultivation is too serious, the relevant departments decided in 2016 to use a budget of 220 million yuan to repair this distinctive palace.
Because I visited the Forbidden City around 2010, I still left a lot for us spectators at that time unsolved puzzle.
Why is only the Hall of Mental Cultivation seriously corroded? What causes the Hall of Mental Cultivation to be damp all year round? What magic is there here, so that several emperors have chosen to work in this place?
As the relevant departments repair the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the answers to these questions will gradually emerge.
In fact, everyone should be very familiar with the place of Mental Cultivation Hall. As long as the Qing palace drama is filmed, the appearance rate of Mental Cultivation Hall is one of the highest, and even many fans of the drama have no idea about the layout of it even if they have not seen it on the spot. well-informed.
Of course, if it is only said that the Hall of Mental Cultivation is the place where the emperor of the Qing Dynasty worked, this conclusion is obviously a bit one-sided, after all The emperor at that time would live there in addition to his office every day.
If it is explained in a modern and easy-to-understand way, the profession of “emperor” can achieve “working from home” “, especially in the middle and late Qing Dynasty, can be understood as “freelancers”.
If an emperor is diligent, he will naturally have more time to work, but there are no strict constraints, so the time arrangement It is relatively free, getting up and working can be done in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Since the Hall of Mental Cultivation is not only an office, it is naturally better to keep it more comfortable. After a little observation, you can find that the overall atmosphere of the Hall of Mental Cultivation is completely different from other palaces.
Friends who have been to the Forbidden City should have a similar feeling to me, most of the palaces are very cold, especially Some larger palaces (such as the Hall of Supreme Harmony) are even more so. Going near these palaces, if there is no one around, even some eerie feeling.
In the words of the common people, it means that there is a lack of life breath, short for “angry”. People feel very bad when they stay inside, and their backs get cold.
For the emperor, he had to stay here most of the time every day. Not good, and emotions are also affected to varying degrees.
The Hall of Mental Cultivation is different from other palaces. The overall layout is a bit like a “siheyuan”. It is surrounded by red brick walls and is an independent courtyard.
And in terms of layout, the Hall of Mental Cultivation is compact and reasonable, each room is properly arranged, the emperor’s office, Rest and tours can be completed. Although the place is not as large as the Hall of Supreme Harmony, it does have some warmth and warmth.
Working here, the emperor is in a better mood, and even feels warm in winter and cool in summer. As for why , we press no table, and the mystery is revealed at the end of the article.
The Hall of Mental Cultivation was not actually the office of the Qing emperor’s “official match”, it was the most formal office of the Qing emperor It is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the large but gloomy palace mentioned earlier.
According to urban legends, Yongzheng was supposed to go to the Hall of Supreme Harmony for office, but he said that when he went, he would think of Kangxi and feel uncomfortable. Since the Hall of Mental Cultivation is not far away, and the Hall of Supreme Harmony can still be seen, Moved to Yangxindian to work.
We don’t know the truth, but since then, the emperors of the Qing Dynasty have been raising their hearts The palace stayed there until Emperor Xianfeng moved to the Yuanmingyuan.
In addition to the reasonable layout of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the biggest mystery is that it is damp. Many wooden furniture inside has been corroded very badly. This is also a mystery for a long time. There are many folklore, until the repair of the palace When the floor tiles are turned over, the truth will be revealed to the world.
Beijing’s winter has always been abnormally dry and cold. In addition, in ancient times, there were paper windows. It has always been a tradition to make a fire to keep warm during heavy snow. When many emperors before Kangxi worked in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, they chose the traditional fire to keep warm, but this method was not effective and would have smoke, so when they arrived in Yongzheng, they began to find new solutions.
After the experts opened the floor tiles outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, they found that there were two pipes buried under the floor tiles. Upon further investigation, one of them is a “flue” and the other is a “water”.
Speaking of this, the thoughtful friends should have found the clue. Is this heating?
Yes, not only heating, but also a more advanced floor heating + air conditioning system. Since natural gas was not burned in ancient times, there would be an extra smoke pipe, but the principle is the same as the current floor heating. Even more practical.
The most important point is that this water pipe flows hot water in winter, and it is replaced with hot water in summer. Cold water can be described as dual-frequency heating and cooling, both air conditioning and floor heating, is it very advanced?
Because the Hall of Supreme Harmony was too big, for the crafts at that time, if it was to be laid in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Two pipes took too long, so it was dropped. However, the Hall of Mental Cultivation is different and occupies a much smaller area, so the difficulty of laying pipes is naturally less. According to analysis, it only takes about a month to complete the laying.
It is also from the beginning of Yongzheng that the Hall of Mental Cultivation has become synonymous with the emperor. Whether in games or in film and television dramas, everyone knows a lot about this palace.
This also has to admire the power of ancient craftsmen. By alternating hot and cold water, not only It solved the problem of Beijing’s dry and cold winters, and also made the summer cool and unusually cool. The office space is comfortable, and the emperor can naturally stay more.
As one of the most important dynasties in history, it can be seen from such a small incident that there were still Many skilled craftsmen, we still use similar methods to this day.
It’s just that with the bureaucracy and corruption of the Qing Dynasty, the dynasty that should have stood on the top of the world, has been replaced by Western civilization. Beat the water.
There is a detail that has not been unfolded before. Xianfeng began to move his office to the Yuanmingyuan. I believe it is also a more comfortable place than the Hall of Mental Cultivation. The news that the Eight-Power Allied Forces had entered the Forbidden City was exactly where Xianfeng was located. Received in Yuanmingyuan.
History proves to us that when a dynasty is in power, only for pleasure, then it really comes end period.
From the small matter of Yangxindian, you can get a glimpse of it. If the emperor of the Qing Dynasty did not use these techniques In terms of enjoyment, but to give workers a more relaxed environment for innovation, the ending of history may be rewritten.